Steering

Steering files are markdown rules that apply to every session launched from a workspace. They're the recommended way to give project-specific context without editing agent configs or repeating yourself in every message.

Place .md files in your project's .kiro/steering/ directory:

my-project/
└── .kiro/
    └── steering/
        ├── coding-standards.md
        ├── deployment-rules.md
        └── team-conventions.md

When the gateway launches from this workspace (or when you set the active project to this directory), every session automatically inherits the content of these files. The agent sees them as persistent instructions.

Steering is best for rules that should always apply:

• Coding standards — "always use TypeScript strict mode," "prefer named exports"
• Deployment conventions — "run tests before marking work done," "never push to main directly"
• Team context — "we use Jira for tickets," "the staging URL is staging.example.com"
• Workflow rules — "always create a branch before making changes," "commit messages follow conventional commits"
• Boundaries — "don't modify files in the /vendor directory," "ask before deleting anything"

Open Agent Capabilities → Steering. You can view, edit, and add steering files directly from the browser. The list also shows each file's inclusion mode, and you can set that mode for files you manage.

Create or edit .kiro/steering/*.md files in your project directory. Changes take effect on the next session — no restart needed.

Open a folder's settings and add Additional steering directories. Each entry must be an existing absolute path or begin with ~. You can add up to 16 directories per folder. Crew refuses network paths, sensitive paths, missing folders, and duplicate real paths.

A chat inherits the lists from its folder and every parent folder. Those roots add to its normal project, agent, and crewmate steering on every agent backend. Moving a chat changes its folder steering on its next turn; a turn already running keeps the context it started with. Only the dashboard owner can add these paths.

.kiro/steering/coding-standards.md:

# Coding standards

- Use TypeScript strict mode in all files
- Prefer functional components with hooks over class components
- All exported functions must have JSDoc comments
- Tests go in __tests__/ next to the source file
- Use `pnpm` as the package manager, not `npm` or `yarn`

Every session in this workspace follows these rules without you mentioning them.